Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Drew Storen (31) stands on home plate after throwing a wild pitch allowing the go-ahead run to score in the top of the eighth inning of the MLB interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Cleveland Indians at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, May 23, 2017. Despite a comeback, four-run, seventh inning, the Reds fell 8-7 to the Indians. (Photo: Sam Greene)

ST. LOUIS – At the beginning of spring training, the Cincinnati Reds had five names slotted into the bullpen mix in permanent ink. The bullpen performed often and admirably early on, and with the breakout of left-hander Wandy Peralta, the unit soon became six-deep.

Things have changed for the worse since. Raisel Iglesias and his 1.89 ERA have been the team’s true relief success story over the full course of the season, but there is little that is sure about the rest. Tony Cingrani and Blake Wood hit rough patches and now are playing elsewhere. Michael Lorenzen has taken a step back after a strong 2016 campaign.

Now the Reds are also without two more arms upon which they’ve relied. Peralta has been out since Sept. 2 with a hip injury, but could return later in the week after throwing a bullpen session Wednesday at Busch Stadium. Drew Storen has been down a day longer, and will miss at least a week more after being placed Wednesday on the 10-day disabled list with a sprained right elbow.

On Tuesday, Storen tried to play catch for the first time since his injury, but did not feel as if his elbow had improved at all. Without him and Peralta, the Reds must bridge the gap to Iglesias with Lorenzen (4.24 ERA), Kevin Shackelford (5.82), Ariel Hernandez (7.13) and other similarly unproven relievers.

Healthy or not, Storen will hit free agency at season’s end. If the Reds want to cobble together and effective bullpen out of what’s left, it will involve some wishful thinking and best-case scenarios with many of their younger pitchers.

“I think we have to have a sense of having some sure things,” said Reds manager Bryan Price. “You don’t want to come to spring training and try to build a bullpen in spring training. We should certainly know there are five or six absolutes in our bullpen.”

One of those slots will depend on what happens with Lorenzen. The 25-year-old had a 2.88 ERA a year ago and started the 2017 season well, but struggled mightily in the second half. He’s also expressed a desire to return to starting, and the Reds have been open to allowing him to try it in spring training.

Price acknowledges that Lorenzen has the starting background to make it worth taking a look at him in that role, but the Reds manager makes no promises. If the bullpen needs him more – which is possible, given that many of the Reds’ young starters have made strides in recent weeks – that’s where he’ll end up.

“I know that’s what he wants to do, and that’s not how you make a team,” Price said. “It’s not your first year of flag football and you go out and run to the position you want to play. We have to build a team where guys are in roles that we feel play to their skillset.”

A bigger question may be how the Reds choose to address the unit in the offseason. A couple weeks before his injury, Storen had a 3.23 ERA and had shown himself to be a valuable free-agent addition at just $4 million, performance bonuses included. He said he’d be interested in returning, although the plausibility of the Reds re-signing him depends entirely on the health of his elbow.

If not Storen, Price thinks the Reds need someone like him. Perhaps more than one.

“Our expectations should be to make really good strides with this team,” Price said. “But I do think that’s going to necessitate some effort to acquire guys who have some experience in those roles, instead of hoping that guys can find their way into these higher-leverage roles.”